DAY 90. Antonio Roberto de Oliveira

Partner of BrandTeam, professor and representative of AIGA.

__________________

English:

Antonio Roberto de Oliveira – is coursing his Doctorate in Branding and Compulsive Consumption at the Institute of Psychiatry of the University of São Paulo; he is a Master in visual programming by FAU – USP; Coordinator of Post Graduate and Research of the Faculdades Integradas Rio Branco (Integrated Schools Rio Branco); Coordinator of the International MBA Module – Branding, Brand Management at the Brunel University – London; professor of chairs in Branding and Strategic Design at the Universidade Presbiteriana Mackenzie (Mackenzie Presbyterian University) and of the MBA in Branding from the Universidade Positivo (Positive University) – Curitiba; representative of AIGA, American Institute of Graphic Arts for the dissemination of Experience Design concepts in Brazil; founding partner of BrandTeam, where he develops holistic programs of branding and brand management; founding partner of Managic Institute; and a Member of the DMI – Design Management Institute, DMI.

__________________

What is your impression about a brand called Brazil?

Brazil was perceived by the world as the country of joy, carnival, football and, unfortunately, of the exploitation of child sex, which happens, in most of the cases, in the north and northeastern regions of the country. However, the country is undergoing major changes and this has been reflected in the perception that the world has on this giant that, despite its great length, was unknown to the majority of the world’s population until recently. This perception bothered me a lot and whenever I traveled abroad I had the need to know what people thought about my country.

I coordinate the International Branding Week, an event held annually in London, in partnership with Brunel University since 2004 and I have already taken this subject to discussion with University professors a few times. To my surprise, the impression that the international public has about Brazil has been changing a lot in recent years and one of the most rewarding things for me was knowing that the image that these people have about my Country is very positive, despite the problems that are constantly broadcast by the international media.

Brazil had a significant social advance in recent years. Previously, it was considered a country of miserable people, but today a large part of the population belongs to the middle class and this new group of consumers has made the country’s economy grow. However, despite these advances and positive projections, Brazil still has many problems to be solved: education, crime, health and corruption are the most obvious.

The “brand Brazil”, as the brand of any other country, is complex due to the large number of people who relate to it, however the management of this brand, most important asset of a nation, is in the hands of the government and of the Ministry of Tourism, so it’s not being well managed.

Perception X Reality

A brand exists only if it is in people’s minds and this image is the result of associations made from stereotypes that are based on rumor, word-of-mouth and what is being aired in the media. Often these perceptions are distorted because they don’t deal with reality. Fortunately for some countries and for the misfortune of others, the perception has more strength and relevance and, in some cases, is more accepted than the reality. It resides in the imaginary of people and has a significant impact, because it affects the propensity of people to visit, to invest or even consider Brazil as the country of residence.

When I received this invitation to write about my impression of a brand called Brazil, I forwarded the same question to some contacts I have in other countries and that never came to Brazil. These were the answers I received:

“Brazil as a brand perceived by me, analyzed in 5 nation-brand aspects.

Brazil as people:

Personally the perception I have of an average Brazilian person is quite good. I think they are warm, outgoing, decent and hard working.

Brazil as economy:

The image I have in mind about the economy of Brazil is quite frustrating. On the one hand the Brazilian economy is thought to be one of the most promising and developing, but on the other hand the society is almost divided in two. Lower income / poor class, and rich class. There is a huge difference between those two, causing the recent clash.

Brazil as history:

Unfortunately, my perception of the Brazilian history is very poor, and I am afraid the same goes for the majority of European people.

Brazil as politics:

Politics has been better known rather than the history. I am afraid it is neither bad nor good as a perception in my mind. The latest news would rather lean it towards the bad side though.

Brazil as tourism:

Brazil is an ultimate touristic destination for many reasons including natural beauty, Carnival, culture and other many attractions.

If I could picture a “Brazil brand Icon” i would imagine the statue of Jesus.”

Theodore Tsikolis

Account Manager at DDB – Greece Marketing and Advertising

“Music under the generic title of ambient, this brand leans more towards the electronic end of the spectrum. With a strong sense of percussion with an advanced keyboard player in what I can only assume to be a hip neo-jazz outfit like Cockpit Music. So there is the brief, what’s the music like? It is actually very enjoyable and the minimal soundscapes intersperse with full blown techno or ambient to provide a varied selection throughout all of their tracks. It all starts with a pure energy which pulls together many different sections under a light beat. Stirring emotions are delivered. The music flows from beautiful haunting melodic hook lines to random individual sounds that somehow manage to fit the whole rather than just the part. It is bizarre but it’s my favourite. This may be experimental music but it is not unlistenable and although I may have reservations about their name, I am very positive about their music.”

“Tim Scully is an innovative Executive Creative Director recognized for his keen business acumen. He has successfully balanced strategic brand programs, developing both the creative framework and business blueprint. His experience exhibits a distinct and award winning track record in user friendly results driven business in the fashion, lifestyle and beauty indus try. A front-runner and producer of social media centric marketing initiatives he currently brings signature inspired thinking and idea showman ship to any branded experience. Tim Lives in the Hollywood Hills of Los Angeles and is a major force in the digital commerce space.”

‘Brazil is…. cool, sexy, colorful, vibrant, fun, full of energy and …… going places. The world will be watching you in 2016.’

Chris Holt – Brunel University – London – UK

“Yellow like the sun [and the famous football team], energetic [the music, dancing, architecture], passionate [both exciting and a bit dangerous]…it is the place from which the spirit of the world glows bright and warm.

It has power and responsibility to revitalise the positive energy of the world !”

[though I am of course aware of the recent social unrest and see that as part of the human spirit of your country]

Dr Ray Holland

Honorary Associate Professor

Brunel University- London UK

Visiting Associate Professor

De Montfort University – Leicester UK

Senior Visiting Research Fellow

Leeds University – UK

“A brand called Brazil….. Hedonistic, Sport Crazy, Harmonious Multicultural … a must place to visit.

However in the last year some things have begun to change and the brand has also started to say… think economic powerhouse, think even bigger social uncertainties!!

As a person that looks at and discusses brands on a daily basis it always comes as a surprise that Brazil has not produced a brand with real global reach (Havaianas!!). If you talk to our Brazilian students and the Brazilian brand experts we meet at conferences then there is no doubt that the skills to deliver brands exists in Brazil, but the awareness and hunger for brand owners to fully engage is seemingly poor. But this is and will change..the question is how to raise the speed of change?”

John Boult,

Professor of Design Strategy at Brunel University and Leader of the MA Design Branding Strategy

These testimonials reflect how the media and mouth to mouth built this perception in the minds of this group of people who never had the opportunity to visit Brazil.

The Experience of a country’s brand.

The image of a country determines the way the world sees and deals with it. This image goes through changes at each moment of interaction that a person has when relating to it.

1. The experience starts before visiting the country, at the moment the individual decides to travel. The first phase of this experience happens in the research and knowledge about the country to be visited by visiting websites, promotional materials, advertising, and news about the country.

2. During a visit, experiences begin soon after the landing of the plane in international soil. How is the airport like? Is the signaling effective? Is the atmosphere pleasant and inspiring? At this point the expectations may or may not be overcome and this will depend on the experiences the visitors will have throughout their stay in the country.

3. The experience continues after a few days the visitor leaves the country. The photos, videos, postcards, maps and souvenirs are the main elements for the consolidation of that image. Conversations with their peers, the mouth to mouth conversations, posts on social media will further strengthen the image that will remain in the minds of those visitors.

Each point of contact of a country with its visitors can be a moment of important and decisive experience so the visitor perceptions are positive or negative. Therefore it is essential that the experiments are managed in order to build a strong brand for the country.

A strong brand of country can:

1. Stimulate economic growth.

2. Change the perception of a place that suffers from a bad image.

3. Create a common vision for the future.

4. Provide a consistent representation of the country.

5. Improve local, regional and global knowledge.

6. Change the unfavorable stereotypes, making them more attractive.

“Country Branding” or Brand Management of a country

The brand management of a country, to be effective, must share the government’s proposals and also be part of the political agenda of the president, who can be considered the CEO of a nation. It must be constantly aligned with the governing principles of the nation, and it is essential that each governor maintains active the strategy adopted prior to their management. However, no government can sustain a country-brand project without the full support of private companies and of the population.

The popular participation is of paramount importance and is becoming very clear and proven by recent public demonstrations of 2013, when the Brazilian people went to the streets to contest against the rising of transport costs, against the expenses in the organization of the 2014 soccer World Cup and the discontentment with the political agenda.

This management model that deals specifically with Countries’ brands is a complex discipline and should be conducted by a multidisciplinary group, with the participation of the people in a collaborative process, for building and maintaining this brand. A special attention is required in all areas that include the management of a Country:

• Government Policy

• Foreign trade

• Tourism

• Population

• Culture

I conclude this saying that the development and implementation of a “country-brand” can take several months, and will depend on the strategy and the level of cooperation of the people involved.

Branding efforts should be dedicated to cultural images, trying to understand and highlight the differences in the Country, and later try to change the realities that generate negative perceptions.

Do not overpromise, in other words, the attempt to tell the world something that does not match the reality of the country.

This brand called Brazil is associated with perceptions that each individual has about this immense country. As my dear friend Marty Neumeier says, a brand is not what we say about it, but what people say about it.

So that Brazil is a strong brand, it is the responsibility of the Government, of the private initiatives and of the people to consistently manage and to deliver the essential values that make a difference in every moment of interaction of people with this BRAND CALLED BRAZIL.